Colombo – city with history and charm

 

 

 

 

Marina bay sands sky park Singapore

note :

click on the picture to enlarge.

Capella Hotel Singapore

Architecture by Norman Foster

Interior : Jaya Ibrahim

Just recently opened, Capella, a new hotel in Sentosa Island , gave more choices to Singaporean or tourist for a modern resort.

Urban resort with oriental touch , combination the old and the new .

Capella @ the Front - arrival point

Courtyard - Interaction between the old and the new

In the evening ...the light will guide you..

The guestroom has fairly generous size and different concept , open , airy , modern and upscale.

Private balcony

open concept guestroom

Bathtub overlooking the view

bellow : Knoll , the restaurant is giving choice for fine dining at night and healthy  or healthy , tasty breakfast in the morning.

Pool terrace

Knoll - the All Day Dining

Crowne Plaza Singapore

For those who have to stay for a day and dont want to hassle your self finding nice, cozy and trendy accommodation yet near enough to airport, you could try Crowne Plaza Hotel . It is right adjacent to the Changi airport Singapore. Relatively new (less than five years) and it has trendy and interesting design concept. Juxtaposing architectural elements and funky furniture.

Nice swimming pool – who says hotels near airport are always pretty standard?

Semi open bathroom with print out on the glass.

Lobby lounge

not quite sure about the carpet.. it looks pretty busy, but perhaps it serves its purpose and quite practical for Ballroom carpet.

The interior of the ballroom is quite unique however a litle dark and look a bit gloomy, however it is fairly interesting and different.

PARK HYATT SHANGHAI – for finer experience

A beautiful hotel designer hotel… simple finishes, well coordinated palate , attention to detail .  One of the must visit place in Shanghai . If you are a tourist and you would like to view Shanghai and having your coffee at the same time, this place probably an alternative.

The room rate is not regular and caters to the upscale so even thought you just want to have a cafe latte , make sure you have some extra cash in your pocket. However, for people who appreciates craftsmanship , finer things in life.. it is worth visit or stay over.

a triple volume height automatic sliding doors.

above: Contemporary Chinese art installation

Reception @ the level 87

above : Lobby lounge at the level 87 – over looking Shanghai the Bund view, fantastic vista.

Restaurant with residential concept, you feel like you are at your own kitchen…

The room

view from the Guestroom

above : Japanese traditional bath inspired tub.

JIA HOTEL SHANGHAI

Just sharing some photos of a quirky boutique hotel in Shanghai . It is small size , attention to details and unique finishes.

above : The restaurant

bottom : The Standard room

bottom : unique wardrobe handle

Bathroom

Green Hospitality

The idea of sustainability architecture , or eco friendly project movement have been existed for at least a decade. I remember while i was studying in university, one of my year end project was also talking about the same issue.  However,recently , environmental awareness and its implementation has become one of the major concern . More and more hoteliers pay attention environmental consciousness. Some hoteliers have given an opt-in program to their programs. Starwood hotels has unveiled a green program for their hotels and resort under Westin and Sheraton brands.

Sheraton Seattle started their program and it they have received a good response from their guests. Approx 3000 guests participated on the sustainability program.  One of the method is by allowing the guests to  opt out of linen and towels replacement as well as daily housekeeping, as such they have choices to actively maintain environmental sustainability. It may sound just a simple effort but wait a minute.. just by choosing that option it has saved 126,000 gallons of water! In addition, the guests will feel better to know that they are involved in preserving earth and natural resources.

Well,..it sounds good , doesn’t’ it ?  I just thought , by doing that, it also gives less “work” for the hotel staffs and perhaps less operational cost if this program hits success, which eventually labor cost may decrease. So. in other words,  we can say sustainability and profitability can work hand in hand.

Guest awareness of property-initiated “green” programs has increased significantly in 2009, with 66% of guests stating that they were aware of their hotel’s conservation efforts, compared with 57% in 2008. Among these guests, 72% say they participated in their hotel’s conservation programs  – Ray Burger , President & Founder of Pineapple Hospitality Inc.
There is often a perception that ‘going green’ is expensive and not realistic for everyone, but many of these practices can actually boost business,” said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2008 Show and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood Inc.

“By taking even small steps and reaching for low-hanging fruit, restaurant operators can increase their efforts and in turn, their bottom lines.Most restaurants already behave in a sustainable way with menu design, purchasing decisions, recycling and energy saving. They do this because of the effect it has on the bottom line. Perhaps it is now time to articulate these actions to see just how they fit with “going green.” You may be greener than you think and perhaps your customers would like to hear about that. – Lyndall De Marco ( http://www.hotelsmag.com/blog/1730000573 /post/980045098.html#comments )

On top of that, i found in my little research, there are Green Hotels Association. So now, who are the members? here they are …

• AmericInns
• Adam’s Mark
• AmeriSuites
• Amhsa Hotels
• Aston
• Best Inn & Suites
• Best Western
• Canadian Pacific
• Choice Hotels
• Clarion Inn
• Comfort Inn
• Country Inn & Suites
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Days Inn
• Doubletree
• Dunphy Hotels
• Econo Lodge
• Embassy Suites
• Fairfield Inn
• Family Inns
• Forever Resorts
• Forte Hotels
• Four Points by Sheraton
• Guest Quarters
• Hampton Inn
• Hawthorn Inn
• Hilton
• Holiday Inn
• Homewood Suites
• Hospitality Inns
• Howard Johnson
• Hyatt
• Inter-Continental
• Kimpton Group
• Lexington suites
• Loews
• Marriott
• Hoteles Marta
• Microtel Inn & Suites
• Omni Hotel
• PAHIO Resorts
• Park Inn Intl.
• Presidente
• Quality Hotels
• Radisson
• Ramada
• Red Lion
• Red Roof Inns
• Regal Hotels
• Renaissance
• Rodeway Inn
• Sheraton
• Shoney’s Inn
• Sleep Inn
• Hotel Sofitel
• Sonesta Resorts
• Stouffer Hotels
• SuperClubs
• Super 8 Lodge
• Susse Chalet
• ThriftLodge
• TraveLodge
• Vagabond Inns
• Wellesley Inns
• Westin Hotels
• WestCoast
• Wyndham
• Xanterra Resorts

Rotating Building – Dubai, UAE

Clearly, Dubai will be a dream place for many architects and place for innovative skyscraper designs. The new concept of rotating building where it will keep changing its shape and generate surplus energy from the wind as well as the sun.

The “Dynamic Architecture”, is a newly introduced by Florentine architect David Fisher. The project has generated considerable interest all over the world. It will have 68 floors and will be 313 meters (1,027 feet) high. It will function as a 6-star hotel, offices and apartments of various sizes besides five villas on the top floor. Each of the villas will have designated parking on the same floor with vehicles brought up and down in special elevators. The roof of the “Penthouse” villa will also have a swimming pool, a garden and an Arabian majlis.

Henderson Road’s Bridge – Singapore

A 274 m curvilinear bridge above henderson Road – near to Mount Faber.

smart ideas for cooker hood

I saw this new design by Elica. a clever solution to make a cooker hood prettier. It doesnt appear as chunky block but attractive and decorative too.